Chapter 112
Chapter 112
Arrogance and Ruin
Settern Volos stepped out of the car, taking a deep breath of the refreshing morning air.
Today was a joyous day for him. He had finally arrived in Erens, and two reporters from Roderick Publishing were waiting for him.
‘Looks like they’ve already made some progress.’
The two commendable reporters hadn’t been resting during the week they’d arrived ahead of him. They’d taken initiative and seemed to have already gathered some rather interesting pieces of evidence.
Of course, they were as cautious as they were capable and proactive. From Settern Volos’s perspective, it was a caution that rubbed him the wrong way.
“Rude bastards.”
The reporters, who had arrived in Erens first, had said they wouldn’t share what they’d discovered until Settern Volos had arrived in town.
“They should be handing it over nicely when a Republican prosecutor asks for it.”
These lowlifes who wrote articles for money were telling him—a man dedicated to national interest and justice—what to do.
With those thoughts swirling in his head, Settern Volos looked around Erens.
“What a backwater.”
Even at a glance, it was a backwater. Of course, thanks to help from the Rose Garden, Erens now had a variety of infrastructure in place, but to the eyes of Settern Volos, who had lived in urban cities, it was nothing more than a stinking countryside.
From now on, Settern Volos planned to conceal his identity and pretend to be a wealthy businessman.
“Excuse me, do you know where the journalist couple is staying?”
Settern Volos asked a passerby carrying a plow on his shoulder.
“…Who are you? And why’re you looking for the journalists?”
The rude reply nearly made Settern Volos flare up, but he quickly regained his composure.
“They’re acquaintances of mine. I heard they were staying here.”
The man still wore a surly expression as he scanned Settern up and down. Settern Volos felt a twinge of discomfort—he’d never been looked at like that before in his life.
“If you mean the reporters, they’re probably staying at the village hall.”
Without another word or even a farewell, the farmer walked away from Settern.
“That rude bastard…”
Muttering to himself, Settern briefly watched the farmer disappear into the distance, then made his way toward the village hall.
Meanwhile, Kairus and Irena had also finished their preparations.
After all, everyone in the village was cooperating with them.
“I didn’t expect even the police substation to be working with the Rose Garden.”
“It’s only natural. They’re all from this village.”
No police officer actually wanted to work in a small village like Erens.
So naturally, those who passed the police exam and hailed from Erens ended up returning to serve as officers in their hometown.
“Everyone’s from the same place, so there’s no choice but to help each other.”
Old childhood friends, the neighbor lady who fed you dinner when your mother was late coming home from work—
It was rare to find someone who could still ignite a sense of justice as a police officer when everyone around them was struggling.
As a result, it was only natural that the police ended up participating in the crimes happening in Erens Village.
“So in the end, our dear prosecutor couldn’t get his hands on any useful information.”
Since the officers stationed in Erens weren’t cooperating, an outsider like Settern Volos must’ve found himself in quite the bind.
That’s how he ended up biting the bait that Kairus and Irena dangled in front of him, and now he was on his way to the Erens village hall to ruin his own life.
“He’s here.”
A knock echoed through the room. Kairus and Irena both rose to their feet at once, without needing to say who would go first.
“There you are.”
As the door to the hall opened, Settern Volos stepped inside and greeted Kairus and Irena.
“Welcome. There’s plenty of evidence and information we need to share with you.”
As Kairus spoke, he glanced sideways at Irena.
“Keep watch while I talk to the prosecutor.”
At his words, Irena gave a small nod and stepped outside.
“Now then, this way, Prosecutor.”
As Kairus continued speaking quickly, keeping Settern Volos distracted and confused, Irena casually tossed the illegal drugs—hidden among his luggage—back into place as she approached the door.
Once she stepped outside, Kairus took a deep breath.
“Well then, let’s hear it.”
Seeing how excited Kairus was to speak, Settern Volos began to feel a thrill of anticipation as well.
If even the reporters were reacting like this, there must be something truly satisfying here for a prosecutor like him.
‘In truth, the moment Settern Volos set foot here, it was already over for him.’
There hadn’t even been a real need to plant the illegal drugs in his luggage. To exaggerate a bit, they could’ve taken him down right now and it would’ve worked.
At that moment, the guards hidden nearby would have revealed themselves.
‘We take him out, snap a few compromising photos or something, and that’s that.’
This was simply the most foolproof method. Compared to that, things like nude photos weren’t even worth considering.
“Possession of illegal drugs warrants immediate arrest, correct?”
Kairus asked.
Settern nodded.
“The Republic of Aylan does everything it can to prevent the circulation of addictive illegal drugs. According to the special law, anyone found in possession of such substances is to be arrested immediately, regardless of intent.”
“Then with the evidence we’ve gathered, we might be able to throw the entire village behind bars.”
Kairus said this with a confident tone. It didn’t really matter what he said now.
After all, there was no real chance Settern Volos would succeed in prosecuting the villagers of Erens.
From the moment he stepped foot into this village hall, the outcome had already been nearly set in stone.
And now that Irena had successfully planted the illegal drugs among Settern Volos’s belongings, there was no chance left for his fate to change.
“Ah, just a moment. Would you mind if we took some photographs first?”
At Kairus’s words, Settern Volos gave him a puzzled look.
“Photos? What for?”
“Well, you rushed over to Erens in the middle of our interview, didn’t you? The interview itself is mostly done, but we forgot to take the photos we planned to include with the piece…”
Settern Volos hesitated for a moment at Kairus’s explanation, then gave a small nod.
“You’re right. Come to think of it, I’ve been pushing you two too hard in my rush.”
“My wife is in charge of photography. I’ll call her in—just a moment, please.”
Kairus moved forward with the plan. Irena, who had been keeping watch outside, came back into the building.
She took out a box-shaped camera and snapped several photos of the prosecutor.
“And lastly… your luggage as well.”
“Hm? What for?”
From Settern Volos’s perspective, there was no reason to be thrilled about someone wanting to photograph his travel bags.
Kairus’s eyes gleamed as he spoke.
“People would probably be curious about what prosecutors pack for business trips. Don’t worry—we’ll make sure your privacy is protected. Even if something like a photo of your lover shows up, we’ll just pretend we didn’t see it.”
“Good grief.”
Settern Volos briefly considered refusing, but calculated that it would still be better to play along for now. He nodded.
‘I’ll just collect all the material and censor it later anyway.’
With his permission, Irena immediately began photographing the contents of Settern Volos’s bags.
“It’s done.”
Irena’s voice, as she announced the end of the shoot, carried a chill that hadn’t been there before—at least, that’s how it sounded to Settern Volos.
And rightfully so.
“It’s done” didn’t just mean the photos were finished—it also meant Settern Volos’s life was over.
“Good work.”
Now that the photos had been taken and the film secured, there was no more need to continue the act.
“Settern Volos.”
Instead of calling him “Prosecutor,” Kairus now called him by name.
“…?”
Naturally, Settern Volos turned his gaze toward Kairus, puzzled by the sudden switch.
In his eyes was the question, “What the hell is this guy on about?”
“Where should I start? Ah, right. Might as well begin with the most important thing.”
Leaning against the wall, Kairus spoke the words that mattered most.
“You’re completely and utterly fucked now.”
“What did you just say, you little shit?”
Settern’s expression hardened as the harsh words struck him out of nowhere.
“In truth, we’re not reporters.”
Once he heard that, Settern’s mind began racing, rapidly spitting out questions.
Why had these two pretended to be journalists and approached him under false pretenses? Why had they lured him to this village?
Amid the questions gnawing at his brain, Settern Volos instinctively realized just how dangerous a situation he was in right now.
“I’m a prosecutor of the Aylan Republic!”
“More precisely, a prosecutor of the Aylan Republic caught in possession of illegal drugs.”
“What are you suddenly talking about…?”
Settern Volos’s gaze, still clouded with confusion, shifted toward Irena—the one who had photographed his luggage.
She smiled as she waved the box-shaped camera in her hand.
“The pouch with the illegal drugs got caught in the shot with your bags. And I’ve already secured the film.”
It was too late to smash the camera.
The film, after all, was what mattered and Irena already had it in hand.
“….”
Settern Volos’s face slowly drained of color.
“Do you have any idea who my grandfather is?!”
“Ah, there it is. The grandpa card. I was waiting for that one.”
Kairus replied in a teasing tone.
“Don’t worry. We’re planning to send your grandfather a copy of the photo too.”
“It’ll also go to the newspapers, the magazines… and the radio stations won’t be left out either.”
As Kairus and Irena spoke, Settern Volos’s mind went completely blank.
Just because he was the grandson of a Republic Assemblyman didn’t mean possession of illegal drugs would be swept under the rug.
In fact, the public would take even more interest in how Settern Volos was dealt with.
“If things get any messier, Lemington Volos might lose his reelection bi—”
Kairus stopped mid-sentence, his eyes turning toward the door as his hand reached for Flicker at his waist.
“Right, I figured they’d be popping out about now.”
It seemed the bodyguards who had been secretly watching over Settern Volos had finally decided to reveal themselves.
The shattered door flew toward Kairus. He reached out, caught it midair, and tossed it to the ground with a thud.
“Bit of a violent knock, don’t you think?”
The first to appear through the broken doorway was a man carrying a massive axe.
“Hand over the film. We’re willing to let you live.”
At the axeman’s demand, Kairus let out a laugh.
“Hah, you talk like you’re capable of taking my life anytime you please.”
“You don’t think I am?”
Instead of answering, Kairus drew Flicker from its sheath and said:
“I know there are two more of you. Come on out.”
While Kairus scanned the surroundings, Irena shot Settern a wink.
“Let’s pick up our little chat after we take care of those guys.”
Settern Volos, who hadn’t even realized his grandfather had assigned bodyguards to him, remained in a daze.
But no one here cared about Settern’s state of mind.
From the bodyguards’ perspective, he was still breathing, so that was enough. As for Kairus and Irena, once the three bodyguards were dead, they were confident they could turn Settern Volos into nothing more than a puppet under their control.
“You’ve lived quite the wretched life.”
Kairus glanced at Settern and murmured.
After all, there were few fates more miserable than having your entire life dictated by someone else.